Against All Odds
by NympheSama
Summary: Craig and Tweek barely remember being apart, and when their relationship naturally upgrades; they aren't the least bit concerned, until something decides to meddle in their affairs - and could well destroy everything. Will the two be able to fight the coming storm? Or will they be torn apart by the chaos around them?
1. Tweek Tucker To Be

Tweek Tweak was not the bravest of people, in fact it could be said he was the opposite. Tweek was notorious for his over-reactions and he had an extensive reputation for his terrified outbursts at random moments. Whether or not this was a direct result of the meth laced coffee his parents had forced down his gullet since his birth, was a topic many members of the South Park community still debated, even after the Tweak's had been found guilty for child abuse; among many other things, shortly after Tweek turned eight years old. When it came to where the young boy would be sent, there had been a mild consensus that he was too nervous to attend the local orphanage, his parents joking threats of being sold into slavery still fresh in his mind.

Eventually the town decided that the matter was resolved, when Craig Tucker offered for the blond to stay with him, his parents agreeing with a general flipping off of anyone who attempted to reject the idea. So it was that Tweek Tweak, moved in with the Tucker family, his things given equal space in the noiret's room and an extra bed slotted against the wall opposite to Craig's.

As Tweek entered the household, he trembled violently, his hands gripped tightly to a bag which contained the few truly treasured possessions he brought with him. His mp3 player with headphones, a small blue hedgehog teddy from when he was a toddler, a few action figure collectibles, his drawing pad and pencils, his thermos for his coffee addiction, as well as his favorite pair of pajamas. He also brought a photograph of his parents, though he hoped nobody would find out. After all, whatever they had done, they were his parents; the only parent's he had known, and despite their apparent lack of common sense, he still loved them. In an oddly terrified fashion.

"Now Tweek, I hope you know we're very much looking forward to your joining our home," Laura Tucker said kindly, as she ushered the small boy inside, leaving her portly husband to close the front door behind them.

" _Argh!_ " Tweek squeaked, his eyes darting quickly around the room, as his fingers clutched tightly at the bag in his hands. He glanced at Laura Tucker, mistaking her concerned frown for a frustrated grimace before jumping lightly, as his eyes darted away to the chiming clock. " _Oh Jesus! It's after me!_ " He whispered, freeing one hand from his bag to tug almost viciously at his hair.

"Oh, Tweek," Laura Tucker softly cooed at the boy, gently covering his hand and removing it from his hair. She noticed dried blood upon his scalp, and made a mental note to buy the boy something special to wash it with. Tweek jumped at the contact, squeaking quietly in surprise. His heart was racing as his dulled green eyes widened and he stared at the woman's face fearfully. "Now you just settle right down," Laura Tucker soothed, "You're quite safe here, I promise you. You have nothing to fear from any of us." She said sadly, gently stroking his face with her free hand.

"Mom, stop touching him." Craig's nasal voice filtered into the room, as he trotted down the stairs. The boy had his usual chullo hat on, even though he was in his pajama's ready for bed, but his dark blue eyes were bright and his brow slightly creased as he flipped his mother off. "He doesn't like being touched, you're freaking him out more."

Laura turned back to Tweek, noticing the boy was jerking frantically, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood so his whimpers were contained. "Oh!" She cried, dropping his hand quickly and taking a step back. She wrung her hands nervously before her, wanting to comfort the terrified boy but uncertain how to treat him. "Tweek, I'm so sorry..." She said, almost reaching for him again before crossing her arms in an attempt to control yourself. "If there's anything any of us do to make you feel uncomfortable, you must say so sweetie. We want you to feel safe here and-"

" _Gah!_ _Jesus Christ, I'm sorry!"_ Tweek cried suddenly, twitching violently to the side as his hand immediately dived back into his hair. He wasn't sure what he had done to upset the woman, but it was clear she was distressed because of him. When the woman's eyes watered, her lips parting to try and calm him again, Tweek slammed his eyes shut and screamed, tugging at his hair forcefully.

"Dude," Craig's monotone jerked Tweek out of his eyes opening to find the noiret had walked over to stand in front of his mother, who he flipped off with a light frown. She returned the gesture, a heavy scowl on her face as she looked down at her young son. "Calm down, she's overbearing and-" He paused, glancing back at his mother before continuing slowly, " _stuff,_ I know, but my mom just wants you to know you're welcome and... _stuff._ "

Tweek trembled, nodding his head absently as he looked away from the noiret, his shoulders twitching jerkily as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. " _Oh my god!_ I'm sorry..." He mumbled, peeking up at Craig briefly before his eyes twitched to the other side of the room. " _This is too much pressure! Gah!"_

"Craig, honey..." Laura Tucker said slowly, nudging her son towards the small blond boy. "Why don't you take Tweek up to your room and show him where he can put his things?" She suggested, hoping the boy might calm down once away from adult presence. "Help him settle in a little, ok son?"

"Yes mom," Craig answered in his nasal monotone, gesturing for Tweek to follow him up the stairs. The blond hesitated at the foot of the stairs, turning to stare at Craig's dad when the man snorted. Laura Tucker turned to her husband quickly, flipping him off with both her middle fingers, before storming into the kitchen.

" _Gah! Jesus Christ!"_ Tweek cried, before hurrying up the stairs after Craig, and following the boy into his room. Craig closed the door behind them, and for a moment the two boys watched each other, before Craig moved away to sit on his bed. Tweek twitched nervously as his eyes darted about the new environment, his heart hammering in his chest as he wondered just what monsters might be lurking beneath the bed which had clearly been set up for him opposite Craig's. He glanced at the noiret, who sat quietly watching him from his bed, and squeaked quietly as he jerked his head to the side. With a quick run up, he jumped onto the empty bed opposite Craig, and hastily delved beneath the covers, turning them into a make shift duvet fort around himself so that he could examine the room with some sense of safety around him.

"Dude," Craig's nasal monotone made Tweek jump, the blond almost toppling over the edge of the bed, before he caught himself and managed to keep himself from the monster beneath the beds claws.

" _Argh!_ " Tweek gasped, settling himself once more in his make shift fort. He looked over at the noiret, who was still watching him, and either hadn't noticed his slip or was showing no reaction to it at least.

"You can unpack if you want," Craig offered, gesturing to the chest of drawers at the end of Tweek's bed. "There's room for your clothes, if you have any, and I kept the top clear so if there's anything you wanted to put up there it can be your space..."

Tweek frowned, scratching his head as he tilted it to the side and stared at the noiret. "Why are you, _Gah!_ You being so nice to me?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly even as he twitched, heavily jerking his head to the side with a wince. " _Argh!_ Nobody ever treats me like this, _it's too much pressure!_ " He cried, tugging at his hair sharply.

"Like what?" Craig asked, his expression never changing despite the faint hint of curiosity in his flat voice.

" _Gah! Argh!_ Like I'm normal!" Tweek exclaimed, closing his eyes as he imagined a hundred different pranks the noiret would no doubt play on him after lulling him into a false sense of security and friendship.

"Why not?" Craig asked, and Tweek's eyes snapped open, bulging at the noiret in shock. Craig shrugged his shoulders, as if he were truly oblivious of how utterly _not normal_ Tweek was. The blond opened his mouth, but could find no words to reply with, so he merely squeaked and ducked deeper into his make shift duvet fort to rummage through his bag and see where about's he wanted to put his things.

Craig seemed to decide that Tweek may like some privacy while he was focused on his things, so he stood and walked to the small desk at the end of the room, checking on his Guinea pig, Stripe, who was currently the third of his namesakes. Tweek watched him quietly for a moment, twitching lightly under the covers surrounding him, marveling at the tiny grin curling the noiret's lips upwards.

" _Argh!_ " He mumbled, before turning back to his things. He got out his pajama's first, setting them on his pillow to change into before he went to bed for the night. He shuffled to the end of his bed, the covers still clenched tightly around him, as he attempted to open the first drawer from upside down with one hand. " _Grrgh!_ " He growled, fighting with the heavy drawer. A second hand appeared on the other side of the drawer, and Tweek had to keep himself from falling over when he saw Craig standing with his Guinea pig in his free hand.

" _Jesus Christ!_ " Tweek squeaked, twitching lightly. Craig's lip curled upwards in a half grin, a small snicker escaping him as he helped the blond open the drawer. " _Arrgh!_ " Tweek muttered, nodding in thanks as Craig took a step back and began to pet his Guinea pig with his newly freed hand. Tweek shivered slightly, the strangeness of the evening taking a toll on his nerves, as he settled his mp3 player, his teddy and his drawing things in the top drawer.

"Didn't you bring any clothes?" Craig asked, his brows furrowed as he noticed Tweek wasn't putting clothes in the drawers. Tweek gasped and slammed his eyes shut as he considered how much of a freak the noiret must think he was now, having brought only a few beloved items and no clothing with him when moving to a new home.

"I didn't have _Gah!_ have that many that still fit me so _Arrgh!_ I just grabbed the best things I could." Tweek confessed quietly, his fingers fiddling with the bag as he avoided the other boys eyes. "Besides, those _Arrgh!_ Social Services people were really fucking creepy dude! _It was way too much pressure man!_ " Tweek groaned, holding his head in his hands and attempting to both push and pull his face in two different directions in his misery. He didn't hear Craig reply for some time, and he was almost finished convincing himself that Craig must think him a complete idiot and not worth the effort of speaking to again, when the noiret spoke up quietly.

"My mom's already set aside some money for your School uniforms and shit," Craig said calmly, looking at the Guinea pig in his hands as if sensing that Tweek would be embarrassed to hear it. "She was gonna buy me a new video game when we went to pick it up, but I'll tell her to get some new clothes for you instead."

" _Gah!_ _Jesus Christ!_ Why the hell would you do that man?!" Tweek cried, flailing his arms dramatically as if he thought he were about to fall off the bed.

"Because, you need clothes?" Craig said slowly, as if it were obvious, while raising his head to meet the blond's wide green eyes. Tweek darted his eyes around the room, squeaking uncomfortably as he thought about how he wasn't even here a whole night yet and he was already depriving Craig of something else on top of his personal space.

"Y-You don't have to-" Tweek began, stuttering in his nervousness.

"I know." Craig cut him off, and Tweek peeked at the noiret from the corner of his eyes, watching as the boy put Guinea pig back in its cage. He waited, but it seemed Craig had said all he felt he needed to on the subject, and Tweek twitched slightly before turning back to his bag of possessions to distract him from the confusing boy. He pulled out one of his figurines, setting it atop the chest and reaching into the bag for the next. He pulled out a box, and immediately heard a gasp from the other side of the room. He looked over, and saw Craig staring at the box with the most expressive face he had ever seen the boy wear. Usually Craig had only two expressions; stoic, and pissed.

"Is that..?" Craig asked, getting to his feet and walking over as if in a trance. He stared with hungry eyes, his fingers twitching as if he desperately wanted to be holding the item himself. Tweek glanced down at the box in his hands, jerking his head to the side as he wondered whether Craig was also a fan. "Dude..." Craig breathed, and Tweek shivered at the close proximity. Craig seemed to finally notice his intensive staring, coughing as he scratched his ear and blushed, before pointing to the object in Tweek's hands. "Is that; a Red Racer limited edition, original season one, pilot episode figurine? _Still in its original box?!_ " He said quickly, seeming more embarrassed by his gush of words than by his apparently uncontrollable staring at the figurine.

Tweek glanced down, eyeing the boxed item briefly, before holding it out to Craig. The noiret's eyes bulged at the gesture, and he seemed to have an internal debate about whether or not he could trust himself to actually hold such an item. "Y-You, like Red Racer?" Tweek asked, his lips curving into a tiny smile as the other boy finally took the boxed figurine from him, but seemed to hold it as if afraid it might break at any second.

"Red Racer is the best." Craig said slowly, his eyes raking over the tiny objects in the box as if he were trying to absorb every single detail he possibly could. Tweek giggled, nodding his head in agreement. He bit his lip, avoiding the small area he had already made bleed as best he could.

"Y-You can keep it..." Tweek murmured, his fingers clenching tightly at the duvet around him as Craig swung a slack jawed and wide eyed expression towards the blond. " _Gah! Oh Jesus!_ I-I mean, if you want to!" He added quickly, ducking his head down to hide his embarrassment. He felt his cheeks warming, and he couldn't help but think once more about how incredibly stupid Craig must think he is.

"Dude," Craig said, his expression torn as he flicked his gaze between the boxed figurine and Tweek. "My mom would kick my ass if I let you give this to me... I really wanna say yes, you have no idea; it would make me _soooo_ happy to accept this as a gift, but I can't take this from you man, I mean, you've hardly got anything as it is..." Craig bit his lip, before sighing and giving the box back to Tweek carefully. Tweek frowned, uncertain whether to mention that the figurine was technically his fathers, as the man had never actually allowed Tweek to play with it. He twitched nervously, setting the object down on top of the chest of drawers.

"Well, you can look at it whenever you _Gah!_ want I guess at least," Tweek said. The room was silent for a moment, before Craig sat beside him on his bed.

"So, which episode of Red Racer is your favorite? Have you seen the newest one?" Craig asked, sounding far more curious than Tweek thought the noiret should be, considering he was such a crazy screw up.

"Um..." Tweek jerked his head to the side, feeling a little of the awkward terror that had been twisting in his stomach calm slightly, as the other boy talked to him calmly about such mundane things as their shared favorite TV show. Tweek couldn't help but wonder if things were really so simple, if it could really be so easy to assimilate into this new life, and whether these people; kind as they had been, could really stand to put up with his issues. He hoped so, because against his better judgement, he was beginning to like it here already, and he didn't want to have to leave. He smiled tentatively at Craig, before launching into a play by play of his favorite episode. The two spent the entire night talking about Red Racer, and the many adventures he had. Little did they realize, that it was only the beginning of their own adventures together.

* * *

 **A/N:~ I could do more, but I'm sleepy and I wanted to post this, so if you leave me comments and stuff about what you wanna see in this; then I could maybe post another chapter tomorrow :p**

 **x My love to you all x**


	2. Wonder Tweek

Tweek sat against the headboard of his new bed, his headphones in as his mp3 blared his favorite song on repeat. His tongue poked from the corner of his lips, his hand flying across the latest page of his drawing pad. His eyes flickered across the paper, tracing the pattern his hand would eventually catch up to follow. He sketched quickly, a rough shape he could work on in more detail once he felt the foundations were solid enough. He shivered slightly, the lines wobbling faintly before smoothing out once more.

" _Grrrgh!_ " He growled quietly, erasing the mark quickly and redrawing the line in a single smooth motion. His brow furrowed in concentration, as he attempted to define the rough shape with some darker lines, and a touch of shading. As soon as he was satisfied, he quickly switched the pencil for a colored version and began to swipe gracefully within his sketch, blending between light and and heavy marks. His eyes darted between the edges of his coloring, his tongue retreating as he ground his teeth together with frustration, when his hand twitched and smudged the color just over the boundary he had set.

" _Arrgh! Shit!"_ Tweek cursed, before slapping a hand over his mouth and glancing over the opposite side of the room. His wide green eyes practically vibrated, as he hastily swept them over the other boy, but he relaxed somewhat upon realizing his outburst hadn't woken the other. He yanked his headphones out quickly, listening to the other boys breathing for a moment, before deciding he hadn't disturbed his slumber. As contained as he attempted to keep himself, he couldn't always keep in the sounds of frustration or surprise. He watched the boy a moment longer, his head jerking hard to the side, as he tried to calm his tender nerves.

He was curious about the other boy, the anomaly he couldn't quite work out. The boy's hat was at a slightly odd angle on his head, no doubt from the amount of fidgeting the noiret did while he slept. Tweek could see the dark hair escaping its edges in messy spikes, something like miniature horns, which terrified Tweek with the possibility that Craig was actually a demon in disguise; there to kill him while he slept. Except, Tweek didn't sleep, and that would totally contradict the unfathomable kindness that the other boy had shown him already.

Wide eyes darted to the boys closed eyes, making sure he was still asleep and wouldn't catch Tweek staring. His brow furrowed, his tongue poking into his cheek as his eye rapidly winked itself. It was one of the rarer tic's he possessed, and he was pleased nobody was around, or at least awake to see it, as it was also his most despised. He thought once more about the boy whose room he now shared, whose family had invited him into their home for no other reason than this boy who he shared a class with; had asked them to.

He couldn't begin to understand why, he certainly had no real friendship with the noiret at School. Craig usually moved around the School with Clyde Donovan, Token Black and occasionally Jimmy Valmer. None of them were people he could necessarily say treated him badly, though if he were entirely honest, they didn't treat him well either; it was a kind of mutual ignorance in which they all left each other alone. Tweek preferred that to the kids who treated him differently, kids like Eric Cartman who found it amusing to laugh loudly at his tic's and make sure to point them out to the other kids like they were some special form of entertainment for him.

It left him confused as to why Craig of all people would offer so much help for him though, and not only that but make sure his parents stepped in to help too. Tweek frowned, gnawing his lower lip as he tried to think what the noiret could possibly stand to gain from such a gesture. Perhaps he wanted the town to only think he was being kind to Tweek, so that he could murder him in his sleep, and then cut up his body into tiny pieces, so he could feed it to his Guinea pig, or Stan Marsh's goldfish. Tweek ran a hand through his hair, tugging sharply on the strands as he bit his other hand to try and muffle his terrified screams with limited success. _"Mmpggh! Rrghhh!_ "

Except, Tweek didn't sleep. In fact he was now sitting, watching the noiret sleep, which was utterly creepy, and he should absolutely stop; except he couldn't look away until he had some sort of epiphany about why the other boy was showing such an _un_ -normal child like him, kindness befitting of someone who _was_ normal. Tweek tugged his hair, his head hurting as he tried unsuccessfully to get out of the loop of unwarranted thoughts about the noiret having a secret agenda for having him there; whether it be to murder him, or humiliate him.

 _"Time to go to work,  
Work all day,  
We need underpants hey!  
We won't stop until we have underpants!  
Yum tum yummy tum tay!" __  
_

Tweek's eyes flew to the small illuminated clock on Craig's bedside table, the glowing numbers just ticking over to three thirty in the morning, precisely as the familiar chant began to drift through to his ears. _"Oh my god, they're gonna get me!_ " He whispered, cringing at his own words despite being unable to stop them leaving his lips. His wide eyes rapidly blinked, his heart beginning to pound in fear. He couldn't understand how they could have found him, he hadn't even brought any underpants with him for specifically this reason. He pressed his hands over his ears, desperately trying to block out the tormenting song, as if not hearing it would make it somehow cease to exist. He couldn't hear his own frustrated growling low in his throat.

 _"Time to go to work,  
_ _Work all night,  
Search for underpants yay!  
_ _We won't stop until we have underpants!  
_ _Yum tum yummy tum tay!"_

Tweek watched as the door slipped open, before his eyes slammed shut, trying to wish the three tiny creatures that entered, although sadly to no avail. _"Gah!"_ He barely managed to stifle his scream, grabbing his from behind his back so that he could smother his face until he could trust himself not to wake his room mate. It was so hard, learning to be considerate for another person; Tweek had never had to worry before whether his screaming would wake another sleeping boy in his room. He hadn't had sleepovers; he hadn't had friends. It was an entirely new concept to the blond, and he struggled at first to even convince himself that it would be ok to turn his music player on.

 _"Gggrrh!"_ He squeaked, peeking around the pillow to see the Underpants Gnomes rifling through a drawer over the other side of the room. He dropped the pillow in panic, his heart racing as he quickly leaned over the side of the bed, checking the monster beneath it wasn't ready to strike. He quickly moved back, grabbing the pillow and dropping it beside the bed, before launching himself off it as fast as he could, rushing away from his bed before the monster could even notice his deception.

" _Gah!_ _Put those back, right now!"_ He ordered in a whisper, glaring at the Gnomes with as much malice as he could while his body jerked and twitched against his attempts to contain the motions. He stood as tall as he could, his arms crossed over his chest the way he had seen adults when they scolded their children at School or in the Coffee Shop. He tried to believe it made him look imposing, but with the almost constant nervous twitching from the stress, the small hope he felt diminished somewhat rapidly.

"Holy shit, its the twitchy kid!" One of the Gnomes cried, his voice shocking the others out of their search through Craig's drawers. They all watched him with their tiny eyes for a time, until they began tittering among themselves. "Finally get a friend, twitchy?" The first Gnome goaded, which made Tweek's hands ball into fists, shame turning his face red.

" _Grrgh,_ I s-said, put those back!" He repeated, pointing to the pair of pants one of the Gnomes held loosely in his hands. The Gnomes glanced at the underpants, and then to Tweek, before bursting into laughter.

"Grrgh!" One mimicked, faking a large jerk of his head.

"Oh kid, you know the drill by now..." Another said, leaning his elbows on the open drawer as he stood among Craig's other underwear. "Stage one-"

" _Gah!_ I know your stupid business plan!" Tweek cried, slapping a hand over his mouth quickly and glancing at Craig, who merely shifted onto his back and continued to sleep, despite the blond's outburst. He turned back to the Gnomes and glared at them as fiercely as he could, with one eye twitching rapidly. "I s-said, _Argh! Jesus Christ!_ Put them back! You took all my underpants! _Gah!_ I w-won't let you take Craig's too!" He said quietly, reaching forward and knocking the Gnome in the drawers to the floor.

" _Grrgh!"_ He growled, grabbing the pair of underpants the Gnomes had already snagged from the drawers. "You," Tweek tugged hard at the pants, but the Gnomes quickly latched on to the opposite side, the three of them managing to match his strength. "Can't," Tweek grunted, closing his eyes and trying to twist the pants away from the tiny Gnomes, but they held tight to the fabric, refusing to give up their spoils. "Have," Tweek tugged harder, stretching the fabric slightly in his effort to not let the Gnomes steal all of Craig's underwear as they once had his own. "Them!" He spat, a growl beginning to rumble in his throat as his body tried to twitch in anxiety. _"Arrgh!"_

"Dude."

" _Arrrrgh!"_ The sudden calm voice beside him made him jump, and lose the tight grip on Craig's underpants, sending the Gnomes flying across the room to bounce against the wall. Tweek similarly fell to the floor and rolled across to the other side of the room, bumping against the pillow he dropped by his bed. " _Arrrgrh!"_ He screamed, scrambling away as fast as he could so the monster couldn't grab a hold of him and drag him beneath the bed to torture and kill him before it ate him.

Two hands settled on his shoulder and he squeaked, his wide eyes rolling up in his head as he panicked. "Dude, calm down. It's just me." The nasal voice which was usually so flat of all emotion, held clear concern. So much so, that Tweek forced himself to try and calm down, though he could not stop the odd whimper that still escaped him as he tried to slow his frantic breathing and his racing heart.

He looked up to the deep blue eyes of the boy who had been asleep last he saw him, and felt a fresh wave of panic and shame for the fact he had woken him. " _Oh Jesus-_ " He muttered, wringing his hands together before him as his eyes darted around the room. They landed upon the knocked out Gnomes, and he squeaked indignantly. His arms flapped slightly as he dashed across the room to reclaim the stolen underpants, offering them back to Craig before realizing he was _holding_ the other boys _underwear,_ and promptly dropped them to the floor with a terrified and embarrassed squawk. " _Oh Jesus, I'm so sorry!"_ He cried, tugging his hair roughly as he shook his head. "I just wanted to stop them _Gah!_ s-stealing your underpants too! I don't have any _Arrggh!_ left and I wanted to just stop them! I didn't mean to touch your underwear! _G_ _ah!_ I'm so sorry! _This is too much pressure!_ "

"Tweek, dude..." Craig's nasal monotone spoke slowly, as if the other boy was afraid the blond might overload any second and his anxiety would take over. Tweek twitched, his head jerking hard to the side as he blinked rapidly, trying to meet the noiret's calm gaze. "It's ok, I get it dude. I see them." Tweek felt his knees grow weak, his racing heart seemed to leap into his throat and get stuck, his breaths shallow as he dropped to his knees and stared at the other boy.

" _Oh Jesus!_ Y-You do?" He whispered, as if afraid the other boy would suddenly laugh and take his reassurance back. But the noiret merely nodded, coming to crouch in front of the blond and pick up his underwear. "You _Gah!_ You really, see them..? _Arrgh!_ You... believe me?" Tweek stared at the other boy, a strange sense of awe building in his chest. His wide eyes blinked, slowly, trying to dis-spell the sense of disbelief he felt over someone finally, potentially, believing him.

"I'd be pretty fucking poor of sight if I didn't." Craig snorted lightly,tossing his underpants back towards his drawer. The noiret cocked his head, narrowing his eyes slightly at the Gnomes where they lay stunned on his bedroom floor. "No one has ever believed you about them before?" He asked quietly.

Tweek shook his head vehemently, his wild blond mane whipping him in his face, though he did nothing to slow himself. Craig chuckled, his lips curling upwards even as he tried to cover his mouth with his hand. Tweek finally paused, glancing up with his wide eyes and feeling the heat pool in his cheeks, no doubt dusting them pink. "N-No... My _Gah!_ My parents just said it was my ADD playing tricks on me, they _Arrgh!_ they never really took anything I said seriously... or, noticed what I actually said..." He said quietly, hiccuping slightly as the anxiety finally began to ease in his system. He glanced around and his eyes settled upon what must have been Stripe's old, much smaller cage, partially hidden under Craig's bed. With a feral grin, and an excited growl, he quickly rolled to his feet and rushed to pick up the cage.

However, at the last moment he hesitated, sensing rather than seeing the monster lurking beneath the noiret's bed. His hands rose, one tangling in the hanging hem of his favorite pajama shirt, the other tugging at his hair sharply. His wide eyes darted between the cage and the Gnomes, knowing he had little time to delay. _"Gah!"_ He squeaked, jumping when a hand settled on his shoulder.

He turned to see Craig watching him, his own eyes flicking down to the old cage briefly before the noiret stepped around the blond, and crouched for a moment as he retrieved the cage. " _Be careful! Oh my god, what if the monster eats your fingers?"_ Tweek cried, his heart leaping once more into his throat at the thought of the monster eating Craig finger by finger. He shook his head quickly, trying to dis-spell the image from his mind.

"Here." Craig's calm monotone drove through his chaotic thoughts, bringing some semblance of rational thought. Tweek glanced down at the cage, biting his lower lip as he slowly reached towards it. "Come on, I'll help you." Craig said, urging Tweek across the room as he opened the hatch on the cage. Tweek quickly dropped to his knees, grabbing a Gnome by its tiny leg and reaching up to drop it unceremoniously into the cage Craig was holding open for him. The Gnome grunted, but Tweek had already turned to the other two Gnomes, one of which was beginning to stir. He grabbed the one who seemed closest to waking, and quickly deposited him into the cage in a similar fashion to the first Gnome, and repeated the process again for the third. The Gnome who had been stirring, was consequently knocked out again when he collided with the far side of the cage.

" _Arrgh!_ Man, what if they get out?" Tweek muttered, tugging his hair as he watched Craig re-latch the cage door. "They're smarter than animals dude, _Gah!_ What if they just open the door and, walk away..?" He rambled, struggling to keep his nerves under control as he peeked at the tiny people. " _This is all too much pressure!"_ He finally cried, pulling hard on his hair and feeling a small tear form on his scalp again.

"Dude," Craig said quietly, slowly reaching to remove the hand in Tweek's hair. Tweek stared at the other boy, who made no fast movement nor prolonged the contact for longer than was necessary. He stopped him from hurting himself, but allowed him his space right afterwards. Tweek tilted his head, watching and trying to understand the other boy, as the noiret walked to drawers and grabbed a small padlock from the bottom drawer. "This should keep them in there for a little while at least." He said, locking the small lock around the cage and door, and placing the key back in the drawer for the time being. He walked over to Tweek's chest of drawers, and set the cage on top; allowing Tweek possession of the small creatures which had tormented him for years.

"Thankyou." Tweek mumbled, a small smile curling his lips as he beheld the captured mischief makers. He wondered if anyone would see them, even if he showed the cage to them, and ultimately decided it was too much pressure to even try. He would let them go in a few days, just long enough for them to learn that Craig's room was off limits.

"Thankyou dude," Craig replied with a snort, tossing his bed covers back and sitting on the edge of his bed. He opened his mouth to say something further, but seemed to pause, frowning when he noticed Tweek made no move to get into bed himself. "Aren't you going back to sleep?" Tweek merely shook his head, checking his proximity to the monster beneath it and taking a small step further away just to be sure it couldn't peel the skin from his toes and make him watch as it ate it. "Why not?" Craig's confusion was plain even in his usual monotone, and Tweek couldn't help the small grin from being able to notice it.

"I don't sleep." Tweek said quietly. Craig's frown intensified, and he rose from his bed again, walking to the join the blond by the Gnomes.

"Why not?" The noiret asked, standing close beside Tweek, but giving the blond enough room to still escape if he so wished.

"I just don't. I can't." Tweek replied, focusing the best he could on the Gnomes. He twitched, the first in a short while he realized with some surprise, shifting awkwardly as the noiret stood quietly beside him.

"Here," Craig said, taking Tweek's hand. He led the blond over to his bed, and holding the covers back so the blond could get in the bed. "Trust me." Craig said, upon noticing Tweek's terrified expression. Tweek turned to explain about the monster beneath the bed eating his leg if he stepped into the bed and exposed it so readily, but Craig's calm gaze made him feel oddly weak at the knees again. He glanced between the bed and the monsters shadow beneath it, and after a moments hesitation, he launched himself onto Craig's bed and scrambled beneath the covers.

His breath seemed to stop, catching in his throat, as Craig climbed in after him and gently took hold of his hands, raising them to press them over his calm heart beat. "Listen, feel, breathe." Craig said slowly, demonstrating taking a deep breath and releasing it after a brief moment of holding it. Tweek stared for several moments, before shaking his head quickly and complying. His wide eyes remained on Craig's who slowly blinked and continued to demonstrate for Tweek, as if thinking the permanent reminder would make it easier for the boy.

" _Rggrgh!_ " Tweek growled, trying his hardest to follow Craig's lead. When he finally felt himself begin to calm, he blew out a deep breath, and squeezed Craig's hands lightly. "Thankyou." He muttered, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders as the noiret smiled at him.

"It's nothing." Craig assured, reaching up slowly to brush some of Tweek's hair from his eyes. "I should be thanking you, for saving my underpants." The noiret said quietly. It took Tweek a full minute to realize that the noiret was both teasing him and being serious, his deep blue eyes barely hinting at the amusement hidden in their depths.

" _Gah_ , well; underpants _Rrggh!_ saving is my mission in life." Tweek snickered, feeling lighter than he had in a long time from the friendly banter. He continued to do his calm breathing, feeling his eyelids grow heavy for the first time in years as Craig quietly held his hands and lay beside him. Craig's own eyelids dropped slightly, his breathing exercise falling into a much more natural process.

"..."

"What..?" Tweek asked sleepily, yawning widely while still trying to keep to the breathing exercise.

"Said yo'r won'erful." Craig muttered, which caused the blond to blush, even as his eyes closed for a long time. He eventually opened them to blearily stare at Tweek. "Wonder Tweek, Underpant Savior Extraordinaire..." He said slowly, a sleepy grin curling his lips, before his eyes closed once more. Tweek smiled, feeling the heat in his cheeks which told him he was blushing again. However, he pleased to find that as he tried to release Craig's hands now the boy was sleeping, the noiret merely held tighter to prevent his escape.

Tweek wasn't sure what kind of life lay ahead of him, but he already had the idea, that with Craig Tucker; the boy who didn't judge him, by his side, he might just about be able to handle it after all.

* * *

 **A/N:~ I'm sleepy. I duno if this end works... I think it does? Sleepy now...**

 **Please let me know what you thought!**

 **x My love to you all x**


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